I'm 6'5", and back in my larger days I tipped the scales north of 400 lbs. I made the mistake of trying to out-drink a slightly-built Russian guy at a bar in Houston once. The first night, we did vodka, and from what my friends said, after I had passed out he kept drinking and shot a few games of pool.

Two nights later, we did tequila. Nine shots in, he picked a fight with two of the bouncers and I never saw him again.

If I had to live in Russia, I may find drinking myself to an early grave preferable.

It's very easy to restrict or make more expensive alcohol and tobacco, but it's only treating the symptoms not the problem. The problem is crime, both petty and organized, and trying to come out of the old Soviet era while old stalwarts like Putin keep trying to drag the country back. Not selling beer on the corner ain't gonna fix that.